Lyme Disease and Epilepsy: Could Undiagnosed Infections Be Fueling Your Seizures?

Introduction

Seizures are sudden, unpredictable, terrifying and yet misunderstood. For many individuals, an epilepsy diagnosis also comes with more questions than answers. 

For instance, what caused this? And why aren’t treatments working?
What if these alarms warn you of an infection hijacking the nervous system?

Lyme disease is a master of disguise. It can mimic other conditions and symptoms, and many more. The result? For few, it might seem to look like epilepsy. For others, it is misdiagnosed as anxiety, migraines, nutritional deficiencies, and so on.

This blog covers the disruptions of brain signals in epileptic cases, can Lyme really trigger seizures, is there any relation of Neuroborreliosis with all these? And much more..

Epilepsy: A Disruption of Brain Signals

Seizures are sudden misfires in the brain that interrupt with how neurons communicate. While the causes vary from person to person on the basis of genetics, trauma factors and so on, there is a growing interest in another overlooked trigger: infection- based inflammation.

What is Focal vs. Generalised seizures?

• Focal seizures involve only one side of the brain, awareness is either preserved or impaired and common in all age groups.
• Generalised seizures occur in both the hemispheres at once, awareness is impaired, and is common in childhood.

Identification of the type aids in managing symptoms effectively. Explaining why it happens is still questionable.

What if the Trigger is Infectious?

Epilepsy is at times a primary condition and a symptom of a stealth infection.

• There are pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacteria behind Lyme), Bartonella, or Mycoplasma can break in the nervous system, can trigger inflammation, disrupt the neural mechanisms, and might as well cause seizure- like activity.
• This is not just a theory. Neuro- Lyme is a documented condition, and in some cases, seizures are the signs something is wrong deep inside the brain.
• So if the epilepsy treatments are not working, or if the seizures are followed by symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, severe joint pain, neuropathy– do not just stop at neurology.
• Consider the infectious or immune triggers. Because sometimes, treating the infection calms the storm. Because also sometimes, treating the infection might as well ease the other conditions.

How Lyme Can Trigger Seizures?

Lyme disease is not just about tick bite and joint pain– it can definitely go far deeper. When the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria (or it might just be Bartonella or Mycoplasma) affects the central nervous system, there is a triggered inflammatory response in the immune system. This inflammation can alter how neurons get triggered, lowering the brain’s seizure threshold, and might as well provoke a seizure or epileptic episode.

What causes this?

• Neuroinvasion: Lyme bacteria can cross the blood- brain barrier and can directly affect the brain tissue and spinal fluid.
• Inflammation: By default, the body releases cytokines and creates the brain- wide inflammation.
• Instability: The neurons are hypersensitive due to the above causes. This is usually easier to trigger and harder to calm.

Co-infections amplifies the risk:

• Bartonella causes brain swelling and irritability.
• Babesia reduces oxygen transport to the brain
• Mycoplasma provokes autoimmune response of the brain

Neuroborreliosis: When Lyme Enters the Brain

• If the proper treatment of Lyme disease does not happen, the condition can spread beyond– into the nervous system. This later stage of Lyme disease is also known as Neuroborreliosis. This is a serious manifestation where the Borrelia burgdorferi invades the central nervous system (CNS).
• The Blood- Brain Barrier (BBB) protects the brain from harmful substances. Borrelia can slip in through the barrier due to inflammatory conditions, affecting the immune cells, altering tight junctions between blood vessels.

If neurological symptoms do not fully respond to conventional epilepsy treatments, test for Lyme and co- infections.

How to Take Action Today?

Conclusion

• Emerging evidence indicates that undiagnosed infections, particularly Lyme neuroborreliosis, Bartonella, and other tick-borne pathogens, may serve as underlying causes of seizure disorders—even in cases labeled as "primary epilepsy."
• While seizures are not widely associated with Lyme in large epidemiological studies, a growing body of case reports documents instances where seizures were the initial or sole manifestation of central nervous system involvement by these infections.
• Therefore, in refractory or new-onset seizure cases—particularly those with neuropsychiatric or systemic symptoms—clinicians should consider an infectious workup that may include Lyme serology, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and extended testing for vector-borne pathogens. 

What’s Next for You?

Ready to explore a more complete path to recovery? Join the Lyme Support Network Community.

References

• Djukic M, Schmidt‑Samoa C, Nau R, et al. Tremor, seizures and psychosis as presenting symptoms in a patient with chronic Lyme neuroborreliosis. Eur J Neurol. 2011;18(4):547-555. doi:10.1111/j.1468-1331.2010.03229.x. Link
• Juric S, Janculjak D, Tomic S, Butkovic Soldo S. Epileptic seizure as initial and only manifestation of neuroborreliosis: case report. Neurol Sci. 2014;35(4):793‑794. doi:10.1007/s10072-014-1648-1. Link
• Khurtsilava I, et al. Rare presentation of pediatric nervous system Lyme disease: a case report. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2024;? (epub ahead of print). Link
• “Chronic neuroborreliosis by B. garinii: an unusual case presenting with epilepsy and multifocal brain MRI lesions.” PubMed. 2014;50(10):??? Link
• Eker A, Meperidine‑Induced Seizure in a Patient With Lyme Borreliosis. J Clin Med Res. 2010;2(4):225‑? Link
• Springer YP, et al. New‑onset refractory status epilepticus due to Bartonella henselae. Seizure. Year?Link